Navy football players understand that, more times than not, they won?t be bigger, stronger or faster than their opponents. So, in order to be successful, the Midshipmen players and coaches make a concerted effort to be the more disciplined team. The rationale is that if an opponent isn?t given asecond chance thanks to a penalty, then they are less likely to keep a drive alive and possibly score.
Navy?s approach toward disciplined play has worked to near perfection the last two years, as the Midshipmen ranked third in the country in both fewest penalties and fewest yards penalized per game in 2005. Navy averaged only 4.25 penalties and 33.75 yards penalized a game last season.
Navy head coach Paul Johnson doesn?t even like to see his team get called for penalties in the preseason.
“We have to be [disciplined] if we?re going to be successful,” Johnson said following practice Monday. “That was a great example Saturday on both sides of the ball. Defense getting interference penalties and roughing the passer to keep drives alive, and offensively, I?m not sure the first group, outside of one interception, would have been stopped without the penalties. They killed themselves. It was a great example of stopping themselves.”
The players understand the importance of playing mistake-free football, especially if it hopes of pulling off an upset over longtime rival Notre Dame Oct. 28 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
“We can?t control how fast we are or how big we are,” said senior linebacker Joe Cylc. “But we can control our hustle. Those drives that continue thanks to a penalty on third down will just kill us.”
Fullback Adam Ballard said the team takes extra pride in not committing penalties because of the disciplined lifestyle that comes with attending a service academy.
“We?ll run the same play 2,000 times a year between practices, scrimmages and games,” Ballard said. “Also, if we commit a big penalty, coaches will make us pay for it the next day in practice.”
NAVY NOTES
» In 2004, Navy finished second in the country for the fewest penalties a game (4.17) and was fifth in fewest penalized yards per game (35.83).
»Notre Dame leads the overall series with Navy, 69-9-1. The Midshipmen have not beaten the Fighting Irish since winning, 35-14, in 1963.
